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Monday, July 29, 2013

I made it to 3am before I crashed. Now it is noon and I'm supposed to be going to bed, not getting up. The chopper left about 5 minutes after I posted previously. Quiet morning after that.

I managed to get a USB download of Ubuntu, but it didn't like my Dell D800 notebook, which is the one I would have put Ubuntu on permanently. My CPU didn't have pae or something like that. I'll try setting it up on my netbook and see if it works there. So much for Linux working great on 'older' model computers.

I spent some of yesterday over at CodeAcademy.com where they have a Code Year of tutorials/classes on web programming. I'm 3 'weeks' in, and if nights are going to be anything like last night I'll be a freaking educated genius before this is all over.

Today I need to clean house and do laundry. I want to get through everything I have here and have it clean and organized before I bring all my other stuff in. I went to Deseret Industries the other day and got a pyrex bread pan, a small stainless skillet and 2 small plates (originally from Williams-Sonoma) all for $8. I'm slowly getting set up.

A bit ago, just before 2am I walked to the community building and got a gallon of filtered water at the machine outside and walked back. There were birds I'd not noticed before tweeting at me the entire time from up in the palm trees. This is an urban area, so it wasn't totally quiet even at 2am. I heard a siren for just a bit as I got back home. I hadn't locked the door because, well, it is 2am and I'm the only one out. However, with the siren I was reminded I do need to lock my doors, so I did that as I came back in. In just a few minutes after getting home and constantly since there has been a chopper circling above here in a tight circle that includes this park. I have checked all the closets and everywhere someone could have come in and hid. In my experience the sound of a circling chopper in an urban environment means the authorities are after someone and they are in the air looking at the area from above. Guess I need to tweek my situational awareness a bit. I have gotten complacent since coming home from Honduras. Over 20 minutes now, and they are still up there. I'm a light sleeper, so I know this would have woken me up if had happened before, so it isn't just because I'm trying to stay up all night now. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

I am a frustrated reference librarian. My specialty is free courses on pretty much any subject. So, here are some I've gathered lately:

Last November I signed up for the Coursera.com course Think Again: How to Reason and Argue. The instructors are hilarious and the subject matter definitely not boring. This is the way video courses should be done. Last November I was still in Honduras and just couldn't keep up with the timing of the course. They are offering it again, and they say the textbook is free this time. I'm going to try again. This course is from Duke University, if it means anything for you.

Another set of free video classes I've signed up for is a series of free Permaculture classes. This one is self paced.
http://www.permaculturedesigntraining.com/ This is set up by the Regenerative Leadership Institute. I believe there is a way to pay and get the certificate for the classes if that is important to you.

Next I'm off to find some Linux tutorials. I got a USB stick set up with Debian but it doesn't have the GUI desktop that I need at this point. The #! (crunch bang) version is what I want to end up with, but I see a Ubuntu USB setup in my immediate future as an in-between. Also, I will get back on the training circuit to get my web programming skills up to par. Since even on my nights off I'll need to maintain an awake schedule between midnight and noon, I need something to keep me out of the casinos.

Besides not feeling very social, I am currently transitioning to my 'permanent' schedule. It is the exact opposite of my previous schedule. I'm moving to working from midnight to noon, Sunday through Wednesday. I truly have to look at a calendar and 24 hour clock to remember where in the week I am at this point. I'm supposed to go to sleep now, even though I've only been up a couple of hours. If I am even more absent from here for a few more days, that is why. Everything else is moving along ok. I am ready for the temperatures to move below 90 degrees all the time, and even will be happy if they just don't go over 100 degrees for several days in a row.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again? I'm that way right now. Last of my 4 days off and not a lot to point to as progress. Linux is still kicking my posterior, can't get the right combination of stuff going to get it installed on a thumb drive, or at this point even to copy off the iso onto a DVD. I used to have a fancy program that was opensource (free) that would open an iso file like it was a directory on my computer, and it would copy off a bootloader from whatever you pointed it to (that was already bootable) and copy it to the CD/DVD/USB drive and make it bootable. It has either gone to for-pay or doesn't exist, or my search fu is gone.

Found out there is a filtered water machine here at the park that gives drinkable water for $.25/gal. My brita just doesn't take all the bad taste out, tap water tastes like it is softened or something. The machine does a fine job, and is close. Also found out that besides a billiards table in the back building there is a nice library and a card room with 3 poker tables. Apparently this place rocks during the winter.

No pictures. Still trying to get the dang computers to behave. My original netbook, the ASUS, is freezing up during Skype calls now, done it twice in 2 days. Also making an ominous buzzing sound while it does it. I had the original hard drive disintegrate on me early on and it was replaced under warranty. I think that is about to happen again. The HP netbook is what I'm trying to take to Linux unsuccessfully. Since it may become my primary Skype machine I want to use a 'live' DVD or thumb drive test run to make sure I can still use Skype with Linux on it before I actually make it a permanent install. Hopefully in approximately 8 weeks I will have my desktop computer, along with everything else, moved out here. Then I will run out of excuses and have to make up all new ones.

Friday, July 12, 2013

I haven't posted only because life finally slowed down and I've been just letting myself catch up to myself. There has been a bit of just sitting around and a lot of just not getting anything done. I'll get back on track now. I start my 3 day work week today and then I have 4 days off so hopefully i can get out and about again. The weather is not as hot and I have actually seen a couple of rain drops, so I'm thinking I can actually survive the summer in Phoenix.